Today is March 1, the beginning of a Women’s a History Month. That history has been a long fight for equality and respect, a struggle that is still very much a work in progress. Much has been achieved, but a great deal more remains to be done before that equality is achieved.
One effort to achieve such equality was the Equal Rights Amendment, written by Alice Paul, the leader of the suffrage movement. It was introduced in Congress in 1923, but did not pass in both chambers until 1972. The measure was ratified by only 35 of the required 38 states by the time the congressionally-imposed deadline passed in 1982.
Hold in to your hats people! It’s baaaaaaaaaaack! It has risen from the graves to strike terror into the hearts of conservatives once again. Yes, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) has returned. A new effort toward ratification is underway. a petition asking President Obama to support it got 33,107 signatures. On Feb. 14, the Virginia Senate passed a bill to ratify it. Momentum is building once again.
Potano's Garden 